Pressure control means for drilling apparatus



Sept. 3, 1940. A, J, PENICK tr AL 2,213,50

' A PRESSURE CONTROL MEANS FOR DRILLING APPARATUS Filed March 28, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 3. 1 40. A. J. P'ENICK ET AL 2,213,504

PRESSURE CONTROL MEANS FOR DRILLING APPARATUS Filed March 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Slxwcmtomv Patented Sept. 3,

UNITED STATES PATe ro-Frice PRESSURE CONTROL MEANS FOR DRILLING APPARATUS Arthur J. Penick and lTiirby 'r. .Pcnick, Houston,

, Application March 28, 1938, Serial N 0. 198,484

s Claims. 01. 166-15) the pressure of the fluid flowing from the well is substantially increased to such an extent that a blowout is liable to occur.

It is another object of the invention to provide a well head of the character described having means for automatically closing the space between the head and the drill stem or other inner pipe with additional, or supplementary, sealing means above said closing means for forming a seal, or seals, 'between'the head and said inner pipe.

With the above and other objects in view, the

5 invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrange- Y ment of parts and to a novel method, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the well head showing the automatic sealing means or closing means in inactive position therein, such as the same will occupy while carrying on well drilling operations in the ordinary way, and

Figure 2 shows a sideelevation of the head partly in section, showing the automatic sealing means in active position and the supplementary sealing means thereabove also shown in active position to close the space between the drill pipe,

or other inner pipe, and the head.

' Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeral I designates a tubularhead adapted to be secured to a casing 2 ina well. The head I is enlarged intermediate its ends, forming a bowl 3 and providing an internal enlarged chamber 4. Above and beneath said chamber the head I is of approximately the same inside diameter. The upper 5 end of ,the head 2, ispreferably formed with an annular external flange 5. Above the head I there is shown a conventional ram type blowout preventer embodying the tubular casing 6 hav-, ing thelower end flange 'I- coinciding with, and bolted to the flange 5 and having the seal ring 8 The invention also embodies a novel upper end of the casing 6 has the external annular.

upstanding skirt 20 provided with the openings 4 2| therethrough: This skirt, preferably, conbetweenthem. The inside diameter of the casing 6 is substantially the same as the minimum inside diameter of the head I. The ram typ'e blow-' out preventer shown is formed with the oppositely disposed radial cylinders! whose outer ends 6 areclosedby the heads 9abolted thereto and in these cylinders are rams, as I0, whose inner ends\ are shaped to fit around the drill stem or inner pipe I I when the rams are in closed position. The rams may be actuated by the actuating shafts I2 in the usual way,'said shafts usually having' threaded connections with the heads 8a and swivelling connections with the plungers III. The

flange I3 thereon. Above the ram type preventer there is a blowout preventer I4 preferably of the form fully described and shown in Patent Number 1,997,152 which embodies the removable pressure, head assembly I5. In Figure 1, the ram type blotvout preventer is open and the pressure head I5 re-. moved as is necessary while carrying on drilling operations in the ordinary way. The casing of the blowout preventer I4 has the lower end flange I6 which coincides with and is bolted to the flange I3 with a seal ring I! between them. An out-flow line l8 leads from the blowout preventer I4 beneath the pressure head and is equipped with a control valve I9.

Within the bowl 4, the head I has an, annular verges upwardly. Within the head I there is a pressure head designated generally by the numeral 22. Thispressure head is shaped to closely surround and grip the drill stem II. 1 It is preferably formed with an approximately rigid wear ring 23 at its upperend, formed of metal or similar wear resisting material and to which the u per end, of the sealing ring 24 is securedi-n any preferable manner. This seal ring is formed of 40 yieldable material such as rubber and has an external annulargroove 25 forming an outer lip 26' and an inner lip 21, the latter preferably extending downwardly beyond the former and being inwardly thickened with its lower end outwardly flared as shown. This pressure head 22 may be located on the drill pipe and lowered with it until it lands on the upper margin of the skirt 20 which will fit in the groove 25. -When in this position the pressure head 22 will be located within the bowl 4. While carrying on ordinary drilling operations, drillingrfluid will be forced downwardly through the drill stem II and will return up through the casing 2 around the drill stem and will pass through the openings 2| around the pressure head 22 and on out through the outflow pipe l8. Should well pressure be encountered so as to materially increase the pressure of the returning fluid, the pressure will lift the head 22 and force it upwardly into the upper end of the head I which is of smallerdiameter than-the bowl 4, asshown in Figure 2. The pressure head '22 is of an outside diameter to fit closely within the upper end of the head I.

Extending radially through the flange. 5, of the head are the bolts 28 which have threaded c0n-, nections withsaid flange and which are sealed by the stuffing boxes 29. When the pressure head 22 is being lowered, the bolts 28 should be retracted so that their outer ends will be withdrawn out of the way'so as not .to interfere with the downward passage of said pressure head, but when the pressure head 22 has been lowered beneath the bolts they should be screwed inwardly, as, shown in'Figure 1, so as; to form abutments with which said pressure head will engage so as to prevent its further upward movement as illustrated in Figure 2. In this last mentionedposition, the lip 26 will fit closely around the wall of the head I and the pressure of the fluid beneath will hold it in close contact with said wall and will also hold the sealing ring 24 in close contact with the drill pipe so as to prevent the escape of the pressure fluid. If the necessities of the case.

should require it, the ram type jpreventer may be also closed, that is, the plungers I0 may be-- actuated inwardly into the position shown in Figure 2 and as an additional precaution, the pressure hcad l5 may be installed in the blowout preventer l4 as shown in Figure 2 so as to absolutely seal the well against the escape of pressure therefrom.

The head- I has an outflow line 30 leading outwardly therefrom'beneath the bowl 3 and which iscontrolled. by the valve 3|. This valve will normally be closed while carrying on drilling operations, but when the upper end of the well is sealed, as hereinabove explained, the valve 3| may be opened and heavy drilllngfluid forced 'down through the drill stem I and returned out through the outflow line 3|] until the well is brought under control by forcing heavy drilling flul'd'therein underpressure, Whenthe well has been brought under control the ram type of preventermay be opened, the pressure head l5 removed and the drill pipe lowered'to carry the pressure head 22 down;into .the bowl as shown in Figure ,1, the valve 3| closed and the valve |9 open and drilling operations resumed.

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the in vention by way of illustration only,,while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended'claims. i

What I claim is: 1. Pressure control means comprising a tubular head adapted to be connected to awell casing, a

pressure, head enclosed within said wellhea'd around an inner pipe through the wellhead and guided, in its movements, solely bysaid inner pipe, said pressure. head being movable upwardly. into position to close the space between the inner pipe and the wellhead and being movable downwardly to clear said space to permit the return of drilling fluid, forced downwardly through t'heinner pipe, around the pressure head and additional sealing means above the pressure head for 0105-- ing said space.

2. Pressure control means comprising a tubular wellhead adapted to be connected to the top of a well casing, a tubular pressure head in the wellhead in constant axial alignment with the casing and movable by fluid pressure beneath into upper position to form a seal between the wellhead and Y the inner pipe and movable into lower position into spaced relation with the wellhead to permit circulation of fluid upwardly around the pressure vhead.

3'? Pressure control means comprising a tubular wellhead adapted to be connected to the top of a well casi g, a tubular pressure head in the wellhead movable into upper position to form a seal between the wellhead and the pressure head and. movable into lower position into spaced relation with the wellhead to permit circulation offluid upwardly around the pressure head, means for confining thepressure head to vertical movement and upper and lower stop means for limiting the range of movement of the pressure head. 4. Pressure control means comprising a tubular well head adapted to be connected to the top of a well casing and having an enlarged chamber, a

tubular pressure head shaped to surround an inner pipe through the wellhead and mounted on and guided solely by said inner pipeand movable into lower position in the chamber into spaced relation with the walls of the chamber to permit the upward flow of fluid between the wellhead and the inner pipe andbeing movable into upper position to close the space between the wellhead and inner pipe to prevent such flow.

5. In combination a tubular wellhead adapted to be connected to the top of a well casing, an inner pipe through the head and spaced therefrom to permit the upward, or return, flow of the inner pipe, radially retractable stop means on the head and sealing means in the head mounted on and guided solely by the inner pipe and exposed to the pressure of. the returning fluid and movable by the returning fluid upon .increase of the pressure thereofinto position against said stop means to close said space.

6. In combination a tubular wellhead adapted to be connected to the top of a well casing, an inner pipe through the head and spaced therefrom to permit the upward or return flow of fluid forced downwardly into the well through the inner pipe,

sealing means in the head around the inner pipe and confined thereby solely to vertical movement and exposed to the pressure of the returning fluid,

and mounted to be moved by the returning pressure head enclosed within said wellhead and shaped to surround an inner pipe through the wellhead, said pressure head being movable upwardly into position to close the space between theinner pipe in the wellhead and being movable h downwardly to land on said skirt and to clear said spaceto permit the return of drilling fluid,-

forced downwardly through the inner pipe,

through said opening and around the pressure head.

8. Pressure control means comprising a tubular wellhead adapted to becormectedto the top of a well casing and having an enlarged chamber,

fluid, forced downwardly into the well through an annular, upstanding skirt in the chamber provided with an opening and forming a stop, a pressure head enclosed within said well head and shaped to surround an inner pipe through the wellhead, said pressure head being movable upwardly into position to close the space between the inner pipe in the wellhead and being movable downwardly to land on said skirt and to clear saidspaceto permit the return of drilling fluid, forced downwardly through'the inner pipe, through said: opening and around the pressure head and additional sealing means above the pressure head a for closing said space.

ARTHUR J. PENI CK, KIRBY T. PENICK 

